Tamper-evident container

ABSTRACT

A tamper-evident container is disclosed. The tamper-evident container includes a containing base, a lid, and a release structure. The containing base has a base edge and the lid has a lid edge. The lid is fixed to the containing base for closing and the base edge encloses the lid edge. The release is disposed at the containing base. The release structure includes a barrier line and two break lines. The break lines are extended from two ends of the barrier line to the base edge. A detachable zone is encompassed by the barrier line, the break lines, and the base edge. The break lines are for detaching the detachable zone from the containing base, so that the lid edge is partially exposed so as to separate the lid from the containing base.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number102200302, filed Jan. 7, 2013, which is herein incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present disclosure relates to a container. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to a tamper-evident container.

2. Description of Related Art

In the past, stealing goods packed in containers or putting somethinginto the containers without leaving any traces was not difficult becausethe containers were easy to be opened. Therefore, tamper-evidentcontainers are developed and are popular in supermarkets or convenientstores nowadays. Typically, tamper-evident containers are hardly openedafter closing. If somebody opens the tamper-evident containers only inforce and without following a predetermined way, obvious distortionswill be left on the tamper-evident containers.

A predetermined way for opening a conventional tamper-evident containermay be removing a security tape adhered thereon or removing a stripthereof. However, the conventional tamper-evident container will leavelitter such as the security tape or the strip removed that isinconvenient for consumers also not environmentally-friendly.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a tamper-evidentincludes a containing base, a lid, and a release structure. Thecontaining base has a base edge and the lid has a lid edge. The lid isfixed to the containing base for closing and the base edge encloses thelid edge. The release structure is disposed at the containing base. Therelease structure includes a barrier line and two break lines. The breaklines are extended from two ends of the barrier line to the base edge. Adetachable zone is encompassed by the barrier line, the break lines, andthe base edge. The break lines are for detaching the detachable zonefrom the containing base, so that the lid edge is partially exposed soas to separate the lid from the containing base.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a tamper-evidentincludes a containing base, a lid, and a release structure. Thecontaining base has a base edge and the lid has a lid edge. The lid isfixed to the containing base for closing and the lid edge encloses thebase edge. The release structure is disposed at the lid. The releasestructure includes a barrier line and two break lines. The break linesare extended from two ends of the barrier line to the lid edge. Adetachable zone is encompassed by the barrier line, the break lines, andthe lid edge. The break lines are for detaching the detachable zone fromthe lid, so that the base edge is partially exposed so as to separatethe lid from the containing base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the followingdetailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to theaccompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a tamper-evident container according tothe first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a three dimensional view of the tamper-evident container ofFIG. 1 after closing;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the tamper-evident containertaken along the line A-A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the detachable zone detached from thecontaining base of the tamper-evident container of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a tamper-evident container according tothe second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a three dimensional view of the tamper-evident container ofFIG. 5 after closing;

FIG. 7 is a partial crass-sectional view of the tamper-evident containertaken along the line B-B of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the detachable zone detached from thelid of the tamper-evident container of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a three dimensional view of a tamper-evident containeraccording to the third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a detachable zone detached from alid of a tamper-evident container according to the fourth embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a three dimensional view of a containing base of atamper-evident container according to the fifth embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the detachable zone detached fromthe containing base of FIG. 11:

FIG. 13 is a three dimensional view of a lid of a tamper-evidentcontainer according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure;and

FIG. 14 is a three dimensional view of a lid of a tamper-evidentcontainer according to the seventh embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a tamper-evident container 100 accordingto the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a threedimensional view of the tamper-evident container 100 of FIG. 1 afterclosing. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the tamper-evident container 100 includes alid 110, a containing base, 120, and a release structure 130. The lid110 is fixed to the containing base 120 for closing the containing base120 and the release structure 130 is disposed at the containing base120. The release structure 130 includes a barrier line 131 and two breaklines 132. The break lines 132 are respectively extended from two endsof the barrier line 131 to the base edge 121. A detachable zone D1 isencompassed by the barrier line 131, the break lines 132, and the baseedge 121. In addition, the containing base 120 includes a protrusion 122extended from the base edge 121 within the detachable zone D1. Thetamper-evident container 100 is integrally formed. The manner the lid110 is fixed to the containing base 120 may be snapping, latching and soon.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the tamper-evident container100 taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2. In detail, the lid 110 has a lidedge 111 and the containing base 120 has a base edge 121. The base edge121 encloses the lid edge 111 that makes the lid edge 111 hardly be heldadequately. Therefore, the tamper-evident container 100 is almost unableto be opened after the lid 110 fixed to the containing base 120 unlessby the release structure 130.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the detachable zone D1 detached fromthe containing base 120 of the tamper-evident container 100 of FIG. 2.In FIG. 4, consumers detach the detachable zone D1 from the containingbase 120 by pulling down the protrusion 122 to break the break lines132, so that the lid edge 111 is partially exposed. The protrusion 122facilitates breakage of the break lines 132 but may not be necessary.Once the lid edge 111 is partially exposed, consumers can hold the lid110 and the containing base 120 adequately and separate them from eachother. Therefore, the tamper-evident container 100 can be opened easily.The barrier line 131 is for stopping breakage of the break lines 132. Inother words, the barrier line 131 is a terminal of the breakage of thebreak lines 132. The barrier line 131 may be a groove or othergeometries.

Thus, there is no litter left but the lid 110 and the containing base120 only when the tamper-evident container 100 is opened by the releasestructure 130. The tamper-evident container 100 would be more convenientto consumers and also environmentally-friendly. Moreover, thetamper-evident container 100 may be made of polylactic acid to furtherreduce the burden of environment.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a tamper-evident container 200 accordingto the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a threedimensional view of the tamper-evident container 200 of FIG. 5 afterclosing. FIGS. 5 and 6, the tamper-evident container 200 includes a lid210, a containing base 220, and a release structure 230. The lid 210 isfixed to the containing base 220 for closing the containing base 220 andthe release structure 230 is disposed at the lid 210. The releasestructure 230 includes a barrier line 231 and two break lines 232. Thebreak lines 232 are respectively extended from two ends of the barrierline 231 to the lid edge 211. A detachable zone D2 is encompassed by thebarrier line 231, the break lines 232, and the lid edge 211. Inaddition, the lid 210 includes a protrusion 212 extended from the lid210 within the detachable zone D2. The tamper-evident container 200 isintegrally formed. The manner the lid 210 is fixed to the containingbase 220 may be snapping, latching and so on.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the tamper-evident containertaken 200 along the line B-B of FIG. 6. In detail, the lid 210 has a lidedge 211 and the containing base 220 has a base edge 221. The lid edge211 encloses the base edge 221 that makes the base edge 221 hardly beheld adequately. Therefore, the tamper-evident container 200 is almostunable to be opened after the lid 210 fixed to the containing base 220unless by the release structure 230.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the detachable zone D2 detached fromthe lid 210 of the tamper-evident container 200 of FIG. 6. In FIG. 8,consumers detach the detachable zone D2 from the lid 210 by pulling upthe protrusion 212 to break the break lines 232, so that the base edge22 is partially exposed. The protrusion 212 facilitates breakage of thebreak lines 232 but may not be necessary. Once the base edge 221 ispartially exposed, consumers can hold the lid 210 and the containingbase 220 adequately and separate them from each other. Therefore, thetamper-evident container 200 can be opened easily. The barrier line 231is for stopping breakage of the break lines 232. In other words, thebarrier line 231 is a terminal of the breakage of the break lines 232.The barrier line 231 may be a groove or other geometries.

Thus, there is no litter left but the lid 210 and the containing base220 only when the tamper-evident container 200 is opened by the releasestructure 230. The tamper-evident container 200 would be more convenientto consumers and also environmentally-friendly. Moreover, thetamper-evident container 200 may be made of polylactic acid to furtherreduce the burden of environment.

FIG. 9 is a three dimensional view of a tamper-evident container 300according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 9,the tamper-evident container 300 includes a lid 310, a containing base320, a release structure 330, and a hinge 340. The hinge 340 connectsthe lid 310 and the containing base 320. The lid 310 is fixed to thecontaining base 320 for closing the containing base 320. The releasestructure 330 is disposed at the containing base 320 and arranged in anon-overlapped manner with the hinge 340. The release structure 330includes a barrier line 331 and two break lines 332. The break lines 332are respectively extended from two ends of the barrier line 331 to thebase edge 321. A detachable zone D3 is encompassed by the barrier line331, the break lines 332, and the base edge 321. The manner the lid 310is fixed to the containing base 320 may be snapping, latching and so on.

The lid 310 has a lid edge 311 and the containing base 320 has a baseedge 321. Similarly, the base edge 321 encloses the lid edge 311 thatmakes lid edge 311 hardly be held adequately. Therefore, thetamper-evident container 300 is almost unable to be opened after the lid310 fixed to the containing base 320 unless by the release structure330.

As the first embodiment, the detachable zone D3 can be detached from thecontaining base 320 by pulling down the base edge 321 within thedetachable zone D3 to break the break lines 332, so that the lid edge311 can be partially exposed. Once the lid edge 311 is partiallyexposed, consumers can hold the lid 310 and the containing base 320adequately and separate them from each other. Therefore, thetamper-evident container 300 can be opened easily. The barrier line 331is for stopping breakage of the break lines 332. In other words, thebarrier line 331 is a terminal of the breakage of the break lines 332.On the other hand, breakage of the break lines 332 does not damage thehinge 340 because the release structure 330 and the hinge 340 arearranged in a non-overlapped manner.

Thus, there is no litter left when the tamper-evident container 300 isopened by the release structure 330. The tamper-evident container 300would be more convenient to consumers and also environmentally-friendly.Moreover, packaging goods by the tamper-evident container 300 with thehinge 340 is more efficient because packagers do not need to pick a lidand a containing base respectively during packaging process anymore.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a detachable zone D4 detached from alid 410 of a tamper-evident container 400 according to the fourthembodiment of the present disclosure. The tamper-evident container 400includes a lid 410, a containing base 420, a release structure 430, anda hinge 440. The hinge 440 connects the lid 410 and the containing base420. The lid 410 is fixed to the containing base 420 for closing thecontaining base 420. The release structure 430 is disposed at the lid410 and is arranged in a non-overlapped manner with the hinge 440. Therelease structure 430 includes a barrier line 431 and two break lines432. The break lines 432 are respectively extended from two ends of thebarrier line 431 to the lid edge 411. A detachable zone D4 isencompassed by the barrier line 431, the break lines 432, and the lidedge 411. The manner the lid 410 is fixed to the containing base 420 maybe snapping, latching and so on.

The lid 410 has a lid edge 411 and the containing base 420 has a baseedge 421. Similarly, the lid edge 411 encloses the base edge 421 thatmakes the base edge 421 hardly be held adequately. Therefore, thetamper-evident container 400 is almost unable to be opened after the lid410 is fixed to the containing base 420 unless by the release structure430.

As FIG. 10 shown, the detachable zone D4 can be detached from the lid410 by pulling up the lid edge 411 within the detachable zone D4 tobreak the break lines 432, so that the base edge 421 is partiallyexposed. Once the base edge 421 is partially exposed, consumers can holdthe lid 410 and the containing base 420 adequately and separate themfrom each other. Therefore, the tamper-evident container 400 can beopened easily. The barrier line 431 is for stopping breakage of thebreak lines 432. In other words, the barrier line 431 is a terminal ofthe breakage of the break lines 432. On the other hand, breakage of thebreak lines 432 does not damage the hinge 440 because the releasestructure 430 and the hinge 440 are arranged in a non-overlapped manner.

Thus, there is no litter left when the tamper-evident container 400 isopened by the release structure 430. The tamper-evident container 400would be more convenient to consumers and also environmentally-friendly.Moreover, packaging goods by the tamper-evident container 400 with thehinge 440 is more efficient because packagers do not need to pick a lidand a containing base respectively during packaging process anymore.

FIG. 11 is a three dimensional view of a containing base 520 of atamper-evident container according to the fifth embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In FIG. 11, the containing base 520 has a base edge521 and a release structure 530 is disposed at the containing base 520.The release structure 530 includes a barrier line 531 and two breaklines 532. The break lines 532 are respectively extended from two endsof the barrier line 531 to a base edge 521 of the containing base 520. Adetachable zone D5 is encompassed by the barrier line 531, the breaklines 532, and the base edge 521.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the detachable zone D5 detached fromthe containing base 520 of FIG. 11. Similar to the third embodimentabove, the break lines 532 can be broken by pull down the base edge 521within the detachable zone D5, so that a lid edge of a lid of thetamper-evident container enclosed by the base edge 521 after the lid isfixed to the containing base 520 can be partially exposed. The barrierline 531 is for stopping breakage of the break lines 532. In this case,the barrier line 531 may just be disposed at a flange inside thecontaining base 520.

FIG. 13 is a three dimensional view of a lid 610 of a tamper-evidentcontainer according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.In FIG. 13, the lid 610 includes a lid edge 611 and two depressions 612.A release structure 630 is disposed at the lid 610. The releasestructure 630 includes a barrier line 631 and two break lines 632. Thebreak lines 632 are extended from two ends of the barrier line 631 tothe lid edge 611. A detachable zone D6 is encompassed by the barrierline 631, the break lines 632, and the lid edge 611. The depressions 612are within the detachable zone D6. In this case, the break lines 632 canbe broken by pinching the depressions 612 and pulling up the detachablezone D6, so that a base edge of a containing base of the tamper-evidentcontainer enclosed by the lid edge 611 after the lid 610 is fixed to thecontaining base can be partially exposed. The barrier line 631 is curvedand for stopping breakage of the break lines 632.

FIG. 14 is a three dimensional view of a lid 710 of a tamper-evidentcontainer according to the seventh embodiment of the present disclosure.In FIG. 14, the lid 710 includes a lid edge 711 and four depressions712. Two release structures 730 are respectively disposed at the lid710. Each of the release structures 730 includes a barrier line 731 andtwo break lines 732. The break lines 732 are respectively extended fromtwo ends of the barrier line 731 to the lid edge 711. Similar toembodiments above, two detachable zones D7 are therefore formed. Thedepressions 712 are within the detachable zones D7 averagely. In thiscase, the break lines 732 can be broken by pinching the depressions 712and pulling up the detachable zone D7, so that a base edge of acontaining base of the tamper-evident container enclosed by the lid edge711 after the lid 710 is fixed to the containing base can be partiallyexposed. From the release structures 730, more portions of the base edgeare exposed.

In other embodiments of the disclosure, the break lines are not limitedto be extended from two ends of the barrier line as long as a detachablezone can be encompassed by the barrier line, the break lines and thebase edge (or the lid edge). There is no restriction on the size of thedetachable zone as long as consumers can hold the lid and the containingbase adequately after the detachable zone detached from the containingbase (or the lid). There is no restriction on the appearance of thebarrier line or the break lines as long as a detachable zone can beencompassed by the barrier line, the break lines and the base edge (orthe lid edge). For example, the barrier line may be straight or curvedand each of the break lines may be consisted of a series of aligned cutsor a series of curved cuts. There is also no restriction on the shapeand the position of the protrusions or the depressions as long as theprotrusions and the depressions are within the detachable zone andfacilitate breakage of the break lines.

Although the present disclosure has been described in considerabledetail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodimentsare possible. Therefore, their spirit and scope of the appended claimsshould no be limited to the description of the embodiments containedherein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of the presentdisclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosurecover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tamper-evident container, comprising: acontaining base having a base edge; a lid having a lid edge, wherein thelid is fixed to the containing base for closing and the base edgeencloses the lid edge; and a release structure disposed at thecontaining base, the release structure comprising: a barrier line; andtwo break lines respectively extended from two ends of the barrier lineto the base edge, wherein a detachable zone is encompassed by thebarrier line, the break lines and the base edge; wherein the break linesare for detaching the detachable zone from the containing base, so thatthe lid edge is partially exposed so as to separate the lid from thecontaining base.
 2. The tamper-evident container of claim 1, furthercomprising: a hinge connecting the lid and the containing base, whereinthe hinge and the release structure are arranged in a non-overlappedmanner.
 3. The tamper-evident container of claim 2, wherein thetamper-evident container is integrally formed.
 4. The tamper-evidentcontainer of claim 1, wherein the containing base further comprising: atleast one protrusion integrally extended from the containing base withinthe detachable zone.
 5. The tamper-evident container of claim 1, whereinthe containing base further comprising: at least one protrusionintegrally extended from the base edge within the detachable zone. 6.The tamper-evident container of claim 1, wherein the tamper-evidentcontainer is made of polylactic acid.
 7. The tamper-evident container ofclaim 1, wherein the barrier line is a groove.
 8. A tamper-evidentcontainer, comprising: a containing base having a base edge; a lidhaving a lid edge, wherein the lid is fixed to the containing base forclosing and the lid edge encloses the base edge; and a release structuredisposed at the lid, the release structure comprising: a barrier line;and two break lines respectively extended from two ends of the barrierline to the lid edge, wherein a detachable zone is encompassed by thebarrier line, the break lines and the lid edge; wherein the break linesare for detaching the detachable zone from the lid, so that the baseedge is partially exposed so as to separate the lid from the containingbase.
 9. The tamper-evident container of claim 8, further comprising; ahinge connecting the lid and the containing base, wherein the hinge andthe release structure are arranged in a non-overlapped manner.
 10. Thetamper-evident container of claim 9, wherein the tamper-evidentcontainer is integrally formed.
 11. The tamper-evident container ofclaim 8, wherein the lid further comprising: at least one protrusionintegrally extended from the lid within the detachable zone.
 12. Thetamper-evident container of claim 8, wherein the lid further comprising;at least one protrusion integrally extended from the lid edge within thedetachable zone.
 13. The tamper-evident container of claim 8, whereinthe lid further comprising; two depressions formed on the lid within thedetachable zone.
 14. The tamper-evident container of claim 8, whereinthe tamper-evident container is made of polylactic acid.
 15. Thetamper-evident container of claim 8, wherein the harrier line is agroove.